SNARKING ACQUITTALS-R-US AND LOYALTY OATHS

The attempt by the Texas GOP to clean up its party fell short, as the Texas Senate acquitted their state attorney general of all charges following his corruption trial, not only echoing the thrust of the national organization, but showing its ability to be one of the most extreme bodies in the country. In defense of Ken Paxton during the impeachment proceedings, Texas representative, John Smithee said, “Today it could be General Paxton, and tomorrow it could be you.” In other words, Texas is fighting for all of us, just as Trump is standing strong between THEM and US! Paxton has been a vehement supporter of the former president, calling Biden’s 2020 presidential victory an “overthrow” by pulling off a coup to take away Trump’s ‘rightful place’ in the Oval Office. The Texas GOP is noted for a 2022 resolution designating Biden “an illegitimate and acting president,” implying that he won’t long be occupying his unearned seat and might be removed at will. As Ruth Ben-Giat on her Lucid/substack.com site says, “The logic of corruption also matters here. The GOP has embraced the methods and values of authoritarianism. It now depends on propaganda (the ‘Big Lie’), intimidation, and corruption – election denial being a form of corruption – for its identity and to maintain itself in power. In particular, it is a party that has remade itself in Trump’s image, with the goal of protecting the corrupt, and, the criminal dictating its actions.”

The New Yorker magazine’s snarky contributor, Andy Borowitz, writes “thousands of hardened criminals poured into Texas over the weekend after learning how easy it is to secure an acquittal there. Interstate freeways were reportedly backed up for miles as acquittal-seeking perpetrators sought to put down roots in soft-on-crime Texas. Harland Dorrinson, a self-styled recidivist who has been convicted in Ohio, Missouri, and Wisconsin, said that he was heading to the Lone Star State because, ‘in Texas, no one is below the law. An acquittal is yours for the asking if you’re white, male, and nefarious. I check all the boxes’. When told that one must also be elected as a Republican in order to qualify for Texas’ special “conviction exemption,” the career criminal was unfazed, noting that “even Greg Abbott” managed to do that.”

As Carl Gibson writes on Nation of Change, “Despite four criminal indictments totaling 91 felony charges, two impeachments, 26 women with sexual misconduct allegations, and arguably an act of sedition, and an attempt to incite a civil war, Donald Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. What the indictment of Trump and 18 other Republican operatives, many being longtime acolytes of GOP causes, by a Fulton County grand jury truly shows that the Republican Party goes far beyond Trump.” He goes on to say that if an indictment within the Democratic Party occurred it would likely doom the individual’s career, with Trump it has only raised his polling position, despite charges in three separate jurisdictions. Should this not be regarded as a sign that the party is morally bankrupt and rotten to the core? Georgia’s RICO statute specifies that each co-conspirator in the case is equally liable, each facing up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years’ prison time. DA Fani Willis has said the guilty will not be able to serve less than five years, or be able to substitute time served with probation. Gibson feels that Trump is merely a byproduct of an increasingly criminal political party, with Eastman, Clark and Chesebro shouldering as much guilt in the plot to use fake electors to subvert the election; and while the GOP’s base has frowned upon dissent within its ranks, criminal accountability may finally be coming for operatives and elected officials.

Many in the GOP believe that Trump’s position at the top of the Republican ticket spells political disaster, with a loss of the US House, giving Democrats full control of Congress. Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan who testified before DA Willis‘ grand jury, expressed his belief that a Trump nomination would be a big mistake, comparing his candidacy to that of the failed Herschel Walker campaign. “We didn’t ask who was the best leader. We didn’t ask who had the best resume. Unfortunately, Republicans looked around to see who Trump supported, and he was a famous football player, and so he became our nominee and now we’re paying the price.” Former GOP Congressman Will Hurd of Texas admonishes Trump as being toxic to the Republican Party as a whole, and his nomination “gives the 2024 election to Joe Biden.” Other shoes may drop since Jack Smith’s grand jury is still active as it meets in the DC courthouse, continuing investigations of other individuals, pointing to unindicted co-conspirators who may face the music. And of course, we all are waiting with bated breath over Fani Willis‘ pointing to the 30 other unnamed co-conspirators in her Georgia case…the fun rolls onward. However, Carl Gibson says that it the GOP stays electorally competitive, democracy may remain in peril for years to come.

Jenna Ellis, a Trump lawyer who shares some of his criminal charges for attempted election subversion, now says she will not vote for this “malignant narcissist” who can’t admit his mistakes, and his tendency to simply say he’s never done anything wrong. Ellis also has a show on American Family Radio, a rightwing evangelical network run by American Family Association, a non-profit that describes itself as having been “on the frontlines of America’s culture war” since 1977. Her charges of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering laws, while soliciting violation of an oath by a public officer, resulted in being granted $100,000 bail after her not-guilty plea. Her claims of being a constitutional lawyer have been widely doubted, though she served as a former counsel for the Thomas More Society, a conservative Catholic group, being sought out by Trump after he saw a television commentary by her. She rose in prominence to become part of what she termed an “elite strike force team” working to overturn Trump’s defeat by Biden, then being signed by Family Radio late last year. On a recent show, she spoke with rightwing host Steve Deace, who said, “Before that man needs to be president again…[to] escape the quote-unquote, ‘witch-hunts,’ that man needs Jesus again because…his ambitions would be fueled by showing some self-awareness. And he won’t do it because he can’t admit, ‘I’m not God’.” Ellis agreed with Deace, commenting, “I have great love for him personally. And the total idolatry that I’m seeing from some of his supporters that are unwilling to put the constitution and the country and the conservative principles above their love for a star is really troubling. As Christians we need to take this very seriously and understand where we are putting our vote.” Ellis was censured by a Colorado judge in March for her spouting falsehoods about the 2020 election, and she has been criticized for hateful comments about the mass shooting at the Club Q gay nightclub, in addition to showing a cruel video concerning a Mitch McConnell hospitalization. Curiously, Ellis tore into Trump in 2016, calling him an “idiot and a bully” unable to “handle criticism” before making a complete turnaround to back him. True to form, the former prez chose not to fund her defense or fund any of his co-defendants, which spurred suggestions that she could flip on him in her testimony.

An attempt to keep Trump off Colorado’s state ballot in 2024 in a suit initiated by a group of voters was filed several weeks ago, related to his role in the J6 riots, arguing that he should be barred under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. A particular section prohibits anyone who has “previously taken an oath” to uphold the Constitution, who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding office again. The suit was filed by six Republican, and other unaffiliated state voters, by Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility, which asked the court to rule it “improper and a breach or neglect of duty” for Secretary of State Jena Griswold to allow Trump’s name on future ballots. Griswold said she hoped “this case will provide guidance to election officials on Trump’s eligibility as a candidate for office.” Florida, on the other hand, just voted to abandon a rule adopted earlier this year which would require all 2024 GOP presidential candidates to pledge support to the eventual nominee should they want to be placed on the state’s March 19 primary ballots. The winner in that revision is none other than former President Donald Trump, who has loudly refused to sign any such commitment, and a slap in the face to early signer, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Loyalty pledges have become an issue in the GOP as they attempt to unify the party behind one candidate in 2024. For instance, to appear on the first candidate debate stage in Milwaukee, individuals had to sign the pledge; but, although Trump refused to sign he also refused to appear to debate, keeping peace in the family for the present, anarchy averted.

Andy Borowitz strikes again with his revelation that “in order to qualify for the next nationally televised debate, Republican Presidential candidates must sign a pledge to go to prison in place of Donald J. Trump…confirmed by the Republican National Committee. Ronna McDaniel, the RNC chairperson, said that agreeing to serve hard time for Trump was ‘the only way’ that GOP candidates could prove their loyalty to the party. As for whether Trump had been asked to sign a pledge to go to prison for any of his Republican rivals who might become convicted of a crime, McDaniel said, ‘Absolutely not. He’s very busy these days, and we didn’t want to bother him.’ Nearly all of the GOP contenders immediately agreed to sign the pledge, with the exception of Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, the latter of whom said he preferred to be ‘hog-tied.’ ‘I’m sorry to hear that Asa feels that way,’ McDaniel said. ‘Being asked to go to prison in place of Donald Trump is an honor that only comes around only four or five times in a lifetime.’ In a related matter, the RNC chair confirmed that none of the candidates had agreed to go to prison in place of Senator Lindsey Graham.”

CNN’s conservative commentator, S.E. Cupp, on her ‘The Lead‘ broadcast, says don’t expect Trump’s rivals to start seriously attacking him anytime soon. She notes Chris Christie’s, Asa Hutchinson’s and Texas’ Will Hurd’s blasts at the former president, but others have been stingy with any criticism. “The problem is, for these people to implicate Trump, they also have to implicate his voters. None are willing to say, ‘Listen white nationalists, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, we don’t want you. The Republican Party is not your safe space. You will not find comfort in a Nikki Haley administration’. They won’t say that because they all still want to win and they all still think they’re going to get Trump voters if they don’t swing at Trump more vigorously.” Her reality check is, “They are not going to win the cult of Trump over. It’s just not going to happen. There’s only one of him for a reason.” Right! We can only wish that were true…there’s a bunch more in the wings waiting to step into his tiny shoes!

It’s been reported that Melania Trump has rejected several requests from her husband to join him in his campaign appearances, though he claims he has been keeping her away and that she will accompany him soon, saying, “She’s a private person, a great person, and a very confident person and she loves our country very much.” He certainly has the “best words,” eh? To this assertion to Kristen Welker on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Trump added, “And, honestly, I like to keep her away from it. It’s so nasty and so mean.” The New York Times in July reported that she’s told friends she feels betrayed by staffers and friends during her time in the White House, but still supports and believes in the relevancy of her husband’s candidacy, while steering clear of any of his court appearances. As his legal woes accumulate, PR experts say she should “keep her distance, but plan an escape route,” before the legal complexities worsen. The easiest option for her is to claim she has to spend time with Barron, or doing charity work, being busy with anything for which she can’t be faulted, and The Donald isn’t going to make an issue of it. Amid the various rumors about their marriage is that it is merely a transactional union with an iron-clad prenup, making son, Barron, the big hang-up in their relationship, especially with any rumored breakup.

One of Trump’s fanatical backers last week was unceremoniously ejected from the Buell Theater in Denver after she was accused of vaping, singing, recording the show and being generally disruptive during the performance, along with her companion, Quinn Gallagher. Representative Lauren Boebert, who has been quietly dating Gallagher for a few months, denied they were causing a disturbance, just simply enjoying the musical, ‘Beetlejuice.’  Being warned about their behavior during an intermission after several complaints, they were finally escorted out following additional accusations of being too frisky…but not before Boebert tried to ‘pull rank’ and threaten the ushers and other theater personnel. Her campaign manager verified that the couple were shown the exit, but tried to sugar-coat the circumstances, before encouraging the public to see the zany and raucous show for themselves. Boebert is seen on video honoring the various theater workers with one-finger salutes on her way out, holding Quinn’s hand as she twirled around. Gallagher, a Democrat, is a co-owner of the Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar in Aspen, where they previously staged “a winter Wonderland Burlesque & Drag Show,” per an invitation for the event during Aspen Gay Ski Week – “an evening of cocktails, appetizers, and laughs.” Perhaps Boebert should apply for a position at Hooch because Adam Frisch is campaigning hard for her congressional seat in an attempt to remove the “unneeded distraction in her district.”

After Joe Biden moved into the White House, he questioned why he had always seen two Army soldiers standing near a Rose Garden bench as if they were guarding it. He approached them, asking why they were assigned to this duty. They weren’t knowledgeable, but thought it was some kind of tradition. Biden then called former President Trump, who told him it must have been a tradition that he simply had kept in place. A call to former President Obama garnered a similar answer; then a call to George W. Bush questioning the presence of the guards provided the answer. “What?! Is the paint still wet?!” he responded.